Militants threaten to attack Pak govt installations

July 11, 2012 15:12 IST

Taliban-linked militants have threatened to carry out more attacks on soldiers and government installations similar to an assault on a Pakistan Army camp that killed eight security personnel on Monday, according to a media report.

Police found a pamphlet at the site of Monday's attack near Gujrat city in Punjab province that warned more attacks would be carried out by militants if NATO supply routes to Afghanistan were not closed, The Express Tribune quoted an intelligence agency's report as saying.

Another intelligence agency's report said terrorists linked with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who were involved in an attack on security personnel at Pir Chambal, were planning more attacks on government installations.

The agency's report on Monday's attack said an "unregistered motorcycle with a time bomb was found and the bomb was defused" after the assault. A grenade lying in bushes exploded after the attack but caused no damage.

The report said police had "found a pamphlet in which it has been threatened that their (militants') activities would continue in future due to restoration of NATO supply".

A group of militants using a car and motorcycles attacked the army camp on the banks of the Chenab river early on Monday morning, killing seven soldiers and a policeman.

The security personnel were part of a rescue party that was searching for the body of a pilot who drowned when a military helicopter crashed on May 23.

According to media reports, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident occurred hours after thousands of supporters of the Defa-e-Pakistan Council arrived in Gujrat as part of a "long march" to protest the government's decision to reopen NATO supply routes to Afghanistan.

Police officer Saeed Warraich said the terrorists had warned the people, through the pamphlet, to stay away from police, security forces and intelligence personnel because their attacks would continue everywhere in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, due to the reopening of the NATO supply lines.

Officials said the Punjab government had ignored warnings from intelligence agencies to monitor the movement of members of banned groups during the Defa-e-Pakistan Council's long march.

Members of banned groups, considered so dangerous that they are barred from travelling beyond the jurisdiction of their local police stations, were seen at a DPC rally in Islamabad late on Monday, The Express Tribune quoted an intelligence agency's report as saying.

The supply routes were closed last November after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

The government reopened the supply lines last week after the US apologised for the NATO attack.